Beauty And The Beast (Poetry)

Reference: An image “L’Amour” by photographer William Mortensen

By lust and fury driven, the beast subdues his prey
her wails and protests quieten into sobs.
He looms above her body where it sprawls in disarray
her desperate prayers ignored by fickle gods.

A monster without pity, yet he hesitates to kill
and gazes full of wonder at his prize
trembling beneath him, so pale and deathly still
her terror locked in wide beseeching eyes.

The moment hangs between them as though a flash of thought
connects and tames the wildness in his heart
thus he is snared by beauty, and the captor now is caught
and feels the sudden stab of love’s cruel dart.

He groans, stoops low to lift her like a fragile broken doll
and cradles her so gently to his chest
as if such a show of tenderness might prove he has a soul
and soothe the fear her piercing screams expressed.

She raises slow a shaky hand and strokes the creature’s face
his breath escapes in an ecstatic sigh
his mightly heart starts pounding and his pulse begins to race
and he’s powerless, but has no notion why.

Art locks them in their legend so the image will endure
for beasts respond to beauty proven kind
while beauty understands the strength of predators is pure
but their passions are less easily defined.